Faults:

Replaced intake manifold gasket at 67,000 miles, covered by extended warranty.

Needed a needed a new sunroof motor, covered by extended warranty.

Replaced the fan blower control switch, was NOT covered by extended warranty, dealer charged around $300.00.

Water pump went at 71,000 miles covered by extended warranty, dealer suggested changing accessory belt and only charged me for the belt, seeing how it had to be removed to take out the water pump.

Driver seat backrest has worn extensively.

General Comments:

I was not considering purchasing an Olds Alero until I saw this one! The car had the Razzi body kit, custom DUAL exhaust and custom air intake. Great looks and performance!

Has never "broken down", the Alero is very reliable.

Great acceleration, braking, and handles like a sports car.

About the only defects I can find now are the windows squeak when rolled up and down, and the driver seat has worn down some.

Additionally, the black paint on the passenger side window panel chipped off, have since removed and repainted myself. The whole process took me about 2 and a half hours for the multiple coats and cost me about 11.00 for paint, clear coat, and sandpaper.

Unfortunately, the car is electronically limited to 107 miles an hour, which it accelerates to in no time! oh well

Faults:

Three months after I purchased the car, I began having what I thought was battery problems. I replaced the battery, but it went dead within two days. The alternator was bad, and needed replaced.

Since I have owned the car, I have had to put three sets of brake pads on.

My turn signals work when they want to, but I have found that gently fooling with the hazard light button seems to help for a while. The estimate I was given to fix the turn signal relay was around $400.00.

My cruise control has not worked in six months.

My driver's side window is the most recent problem. I believe it is the "relay" which is attached to the window motor which has gone bad. The estimate for this repair from a "mom & pop" shop was around $300.00.

Another problem is I have radiator hose or clamp which is bad. I have replaced both the hose and the clamp, yet I continue to lose coolant.

The fuse light in the car comes on several times while I am driving, seemingly for no apparent reason. I have taken it to the shop twice for this problem, and the mechanic was unable to find the problem.

Inside the trunk, there is a black plastic piece which covers the metal of the car. The plastic clips which hold it on are all broken. The piece now just sits in the trunk.

The dome light falls down about every other day.

The passenger side back seat door handle has not worked since late 2003. A mechanic told me that the handle and inside assembly needed replaced. That estimate, including parts, was $500.00.

General Comments:

I loved this car when I purchased it; it was a used car that was within my price range. Since owning it, however, I would not recommend this car to anyone.

The seats are very uncomfortable, and are of poor quality.

The inside door handles are very flimsy plastic which bend when you use them, as are all of the knobs and controls for the vehicle.

I do have the V6 model, and I have noticed that I get very poor gas mileage.

On a positive note, the car is quick and provides fairly good handling at higher speeds. The traction control also seems to be an asset of the car.